Geography - Curriculum - Victorian Curriculum

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Levels 7 and 8

Levels 7 and 8 Description

In Levels 7 and 8, students examine the processes that influence the characteristics of places. They consider spatial distributions and patterns and their implications and consider interconnections between and within places and changes resulting from these. This further develops their understanding of geographical concepts, including place, space and interconnection.

Students’ conceptual...

Students’ conceptual thinking is developed through four sub-strands:

Water in the world
Landforms and landscapes
Place and liveability
Changing nations

Water in the world focuses on water as an example of a renewable environmental resource. It develops students’ understanding of the concept of environment, including the ideas that the environment is the product of a variety of processes, that it supports and enriches human and other life in different ways and that the environment has its specific hazards.

Landforms and landscapes focuses on investigating geomorphology through a study of landscapes and their landforms. It also develops students’ understanding of the concept of environment and enables them to explore the significance of landscapes to people, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

Place and liveability focuses on the concept of place through an investigation of liveability. Students examine factors that influence liveability and how it is perceived, the idea that places provide us with the services and facilities needed to support and enhance our lives, and that spaces are planned and managed by people.

Changing nations focuses on the concept of change by investigating the changing human geography of countries, as revealed by shifts in population distribution, a sensitive indicator of economic and social change. It explores the process of urbanisation and how it interconnects with low and middle-income economies and societies. It investigates the reasons for the high level of urban concentration in Australia and examines issues related to the management and future of Australia’s urban areas.

Key questions:

How are people's perceptions of places and environments influenced by their reliance on them?
How do the interconnections between places, people and environments affect the lives of people?
How do environmental and human processes affect the characteristics of places and environments?
What are the consequences of changes to places and environments and how can these changes be managed?
What approaches can be taken to improve the availability of resources and access to services?

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Levels 7 and 8 Content Descriptions

Geographical Concepts and Skills

Place, space and interconnection Elaborations

Explain processes that influence the characteristics of places (VCGGC099)
1. explaining the physical causes and the temporal and spatial patterns of an atmospheric or hydrological hazard through a study of either droughts, storms, tropical cyclones or floods
2. exploring the geomorphology of the land and how this affects the liveability of a place
3. contrasting the effects of geomorphic processes that lower the land surface (weathering and erosion) and those that raise the land surface (transportation and deposition)
4. discussing urbanisation as a shift in where, how and why people live where they do
Identify, analyse and explain spatial distributions and patterns and identify and explain their implications (VCGGC100)
1. interpreting the spatial distribution of rainfall in Australia and comparing it with that of other continents
2. comparing accessibility to and availability of a range of services and facilities between different types of settlements (urban, rural and remote) in Australia and other countries. For example, shops, access to clean water, sanitation, education and health services
3. investigating the natural causes and spatial distribution of a geomorphological hazard. For example, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides and avalanches
4. exploring the arguments for and against a more balanced distribution of the urban population
Identify, analyse and explain interconnections within places and between places and identify and explain changes resulting from these interconnections (VCGGC101)
1. describing how water is an available resource when it is groundwater, soil moisture (green water), and surface water in dams, rivers and lakes (blue water), and a potential resource when it exists as salt water, ice, water vapour or waste water, and using the concept of the water cycle to show the connections between the different forms
2. explaining how the movement of water through the environment connects places. For example, the melting of snow in spring feeding rivers and dams downstream
3. comparing student access to and use of places and spaces in their local area and evaluating how this affects perceptions of liveability
4. analysing the role of landforms and landscapes in tourism. For example, Uluru in Australia or the Grand Canyon in the USA
5. examining how urbanisation can affect environmental quality and analysing the effects of erosion and sedimentation produced by human activities on landscape quality

Data and information Elaborations

Collect and record relevant geographical data and information from useful primary and secondary sources, using ethical protocols (VCGGC102)
1. gathering from a range of primary and digital sources, for example, from GIS layers, observation, annotated field sketches, surveys and interviews, or photographs, relevant data about the impacts of and responses to a hydrological hazard, or the factors influencing decisions people make about where to live
2. collecting geographical information from secondary sources, such as digital sources, thematic maps, weather maps, climate graphs, compound column graphs and population pyramids, reports, census data and the media
3. applying ethical research methods, including the use of protocols for consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
4. considering the usefulness of primary and secondary data by finding out when it was collected and for what purpose, and comparing this to the purpose of research
5. gathering relevant data about the ways to protect significant landscapes from a range of primary and digital sources, such as from observation, annotated field sketches, surveys and interviews, or photographs
Select and represent data and information in different forms, including by constructing appropriate maps at different scales that conform to cartographic conventions, using digital and spatial technologies as appropriate (VCGGC103)
1. creating an annotated diagram to demonstrate how water flows through the environment and connects places, or the influence of environmental quality on the liveability of places
2. constructing tables and graphs of demographic or economic data for Australia or China
3. creating annotated diagrams to show a landscape and its landforms
4. creating a map to show the spatial distribution and patterns of liveability, using computer mapping software
5. using a satellite image to construct a map to show the areas affected by a hydrological hazard, in Australia and another region of the world
Analyse maps and other geographical data and information using digital and spatial technologies as appropriate, to develop identifications, descriptions, explanations and conclusions that use geographical terminology (VCGGC104)
1. using aerial images of contrasting places to identify differences in housing density
2. using graphs, weather maps and satellite images to examine the temporal and spatial patterns of a selected hydrological hazard in Australia and another region of the world, such as countries of the Asia region, or from the Pacific region
3. using digital maps and overlays of an area to observe, describe and contrast the spatial associations of geographical phenomena. For example, the relationship between economic activities and river systems and the availability of surface water
4. interpreting topographic maps and digital terrain models, cross-sections or block diagrams to investigate landforms and their features
5. reviewing the results of an analysis to propose and defend answers to a question, emphasising at least one of the geographical concepts of place, space, environment, interconnection, sustainability, scale or change

Geographical Knowledge

Water in the world Elaborations

Classification of environmental resources and the forms that water takes as a resource (VCGGK105)
1. classifying resources into renewable/non-renewable and finite/infinite resources, and investigating examples of each type
2. describing how water is an available resource when it is groundwater, soil moisture (green water), and surface water in dams, rivers and lakes (blue water), and a potential resource when it exists as salt water, ice, water vapour or waste water, and using the concept of the water cycle to show the connections between the different forms
Ways that flows of water connect places as they move through the environment and the ways this affects places (VCGGK106)
1. explaining how the movement of water through the environment connects places. For example, the melting of snow in spring feeding rivers and dams downstream
2. investigating the environmental, economic and social effects of water as it connects people and places. For example, the effects of water in the Snowy Mountains, or of upstream irrigation on downstream water quality
The quantity and variability of Australia’s water resources compared with those in other continents and how water balance can be used to explain these differences (VCGGK107)
1. investigating the main causes of rainfall and applying their geographical knowledge to explain the seasonal rainfall patterns in their own place and in a place with either significantly higher or lower rainfall
2. interpreting the spatial distribution of rainfall in Australia and comparing it with that of other continents
3. using the concept of the water balance (the relationship between rainfall, evaporation and runoff) to explain the differences between Australia and other continents in water resources
Nature of water scarcity and the role of humans in creating and overcoming it, including studies drawn from Australia and West Asia and/or North Africa (VCGGK108)
1. investigating the causes of water scarcity. For example, an absolute shortage of water (physical), inadequate development of water resources (economics), or the way water is used
2. comparing the effectiveness in reducing water scarcity of methods that increase the supply of water (such as recycling waste water, stormwater harvesting and re-use, desalination and inter-regional transfer of water) with methods that reduce the demand for water (such as pricing, changing the use of water and water restrictions)
3. examining why water is a difficult resource to manage. For example, difficulties in accounting for its economic value, its competing uses and variability of supply over time and space
4. explaining why some land use management practices such as land cleaning and some farming practices have adversely affected water supply
The spiritual, economic, cultural and aesthetic value of water for people, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and peoples of the Asia region, that influence the significance of places (VCGGK109)
1. examining and comparing places in Australia and countries of the Asia region that have economies and communities based on irrigation. For example, rice production in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area in NSW and the Mekong Delta in Vietnam
2. exploring the multilayered meanings (material, cultural and spiritual wellbeing) associated with rivers, waterholes, seas, lakes, soaks and springs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
3. examining bays, rivers, waterfalls or lakes in Australia and in countries of the Asia region that have been listed as either World Heritage sites or national parks for their aesthetic and cultural value
4. investigating the spiritual significance of water in an Asian culture
Causes of an atmospheric or hydrological hazard and its impacts on places, and human responses to it to minimise harmful effects on places in the future (VCGGK110)
1. explaining the physical causes and the temporal and spatial patterns of an atmospheric or hydrological hazard through a study of either droughts, storms, tropical cyclones or floods
2. explaining the economic, environmental and social impacts of a selected atmospheric or hydrological hazard on people and places, and investigating community responses to the hazard

Place and liveability Elaborations

Factors that influence the decisions people make about where to live and their perceptions of the liveability of places (VCGGK111)
1. investigating their and others’ interpretations of the concept of liveability and why what makes a place liveable may vary from person to person according to age, education, income, cultural background and other variables
2. comparing student access to and use of places and spaces in their local area and evaluating how this affects perceptions of liveability
3. discussing why many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples live on their Country/Place or might prefer to if they had the choice
Influence of accessibility to services and facilities; and environmental quality, on the liveability of places (VCGGK112)
1. comparing accessibility to and availability of a range of services and facilities between different types of settlements (urban, rural and remote) in Australia and other countries. For example, shops, access to clean water, sanitation, education and health services
2. examining the role transport plays in people’s ability to access services and participate in activities in the local area
3. explaining the importance of water quality to the liveability of places
4. investigating the concept of environmental quality and surveying the environmental quality of their local area and its effect on liveability
5. exploring the geomorphology of the land and how this affects the liveability of a place
Environmental, economic and social measures used to evaluate places for their liveability, comparing two different places (VCGGK113)
1. comparing objective measures of liveability such as transportation infrastructure, with subjective measures such as people’s perceptions
2. comparing two liveability surveys and how this affects ranking places
3. evaluating surveys of liveability and the measures they use
Influence of social connectedness and community identity on the liveability of places (VCGGK114)
1. discussing the different types of places where people and groups can feel included or excluded, safe or threatened, and evaluating how this affects perceptions about liveability of places
2. investigating the extent to which people in their place are socially connected or socially isolated and its effect on liveability
Strategies used to enhance the liveability of places, especially for young people, including examples from Australia and Europe (VCGGK115)
1. researching methods implemented in Australia and Europe to improve the liveability of a place, and evaluating their applicability to their own locality
2. developing a specific proposal to improve an aspect of the liveability of their place, taking into account the needs of diverse groups in the community, including, for example, young people through fieldwork in the local recreation area or Traditional Owners by developing bilingual signage or indigenous garden projects
3. discussing the impact of increasing housing density on the liveability of places, and on their environmental sustainability

Landforms and landscapes Elaborations

Different types of landscapes and their distinctive landform features (VCGGK116)
1. identifying different types of landscapes, such as coastal, riverine, arid, mountain and karst, and describing examples from around the world, including Antarctica
2. identifying some iconic landforms in Australia and the world, and describing what makes them iconic
3. exploring the names, meanings and significance of landform features from an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander perspective
Geomorphic processes that produce landforms, including a case study of at least one landform (VCGGK117)
1. describing the influence of folding, faulting or volcanism on a chosen landform
2. contrasting the effects of geomorphic processes that lower the land surface (weathering and erosion) and those that raise the land surface (transportation and deposition)
The differences in at least one landform in Australia compared to other places and the geomorphic processes involved (VCGGK118)
1. undertaking fieldwork at a site such as the 12 Apostles and using secondary sources to compare wave action and weathering with a similar landform, such as Raukar - Limestone Sea Stacks of Gotland in Sweden
2. comparing weathering processes acting on rock masses in one location with another in Australia or elsewhere, considering differences in climate, rock type, rock structure and erosion
Human causes of landscape degradation, the effects on landscape quality and the implications for places (VCGGK119)
1. analysing the effects of erosion and sedimentation produced by human activities on landscape quality, including farming and recreation
2. examining the effects of mining and quarrying, and urban development, on landscape quality and how this affects places
3. describing the effects of river regulation, including dams, locks, channel straightening and drains, on riverine and wetland landscape quality
4. investigating the effects on coastal landscape quality of the built elements of places. For example, urban development, marinas and sea walls
5. investigating the ways introduced plants or animals or activities such as mining affect landscape quality and examining the effects on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
Spiritual, cultural and aesthetic value of landscapes and landforms for people, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, that influence the significance of places, and ways of protecting significant landscapes (VCGGK120)
1. discussing the significance of landscapes in literature, song/music, film, art and identity
2. analysing the role of landforms and landscapes in tourism. For example, Uluru in Australia or the Grand Canyon in the USA
3. exploring the multilayered meanings (material, cultural and spiritual wellbeing) associated with landscapes and landforms by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
4. identifying different views about the recreational, psychological, aesthetic and spiritual value of particular environments and about the nature and extent of their protection, and discussing how this links to ideas about environmental sustainability
5. investigating a significant landscape that is threatened by human activities and developing a proposal for the future of the landscape that takes account of the views of the diverse groups, including Traditional Owners, with an interest in its use or protection
Causes of a geomorphological hazard and its impacts on places and human responses to it to minimise harmful effects on places in the future (VCGGK121)
1. investigating the natural causes and spatial distribution of a geomorphological hazard. For example, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides and avalanches
2. discussing the extent to which human alteration of environments has contributed to the occurrence of the geomorphological hazard
3. describing how the effects caused by geomorphological hazards are influenced by social, cultural and economic factors. For example, where people choose to live, poverty, and lack of infrastructure and resources to prepare and respond
4. researching how the application of principles of prevention, mitigation and preparedness minimises the harmful effects of geomorphological hazards
5. investigating the negative and positive impacts of bushfires on Australian landscapes and ways of responding to the risk and events of bushfires

Changing nations Elaborations

The causes and consequences of urbanisation, drawing on a study from Indonesia (VCGGK122)
1. discussing urbanisation as a shift in where, how and why people live where they do
2. exploring the connections between urbanisation and economic and social opportunities
3. examining how urbanisation can affect environmental quality. For example, carbon emissions and water consumption
The causes and consequences of urban concentration and urban settlement patterns between Australia and the United States of America and reasons for these similarities and differences (VCGGK123)
1. researching the causes of urban concentration in Australia and the United States of America. For example, the history of European settlement, migration, the export orientation of the economy, the centralisation of state governments, environmental constraints and the shape of transportation networks
2. applying the concept of place to explain why urbanisation produces different spatial outcomes in different countries
The reasons for and effects of international migration to Australia (VCGGK124)
1. identifying and explaining the main types and patterns of international migration. For example, permanent migration, temporary labour migration, student migration, forced migration (including refugees) and family reunion
2. investigating where and why international migrants settle in Australia and how this may reinforce urban concentration
3. exploring the changing cultural diversity of the Australian population
The reasons for and effects of internal migration in Australia and China (VCGGK125)
1. identifying and explaining the main types, patterns and trends of internal migration in Australia. For example, employment, lifestyle and retirement migration
2. examining the effects of resource development in Australia on employment growth in both the resource regions and the cities, and on internal migration
3. explaining why changes in the spatial distribution of population are a good indicator of economic and social change in a country
4. examining the role of labour migration in the urban development of China. For example, the growth of Shenzhen, Guangdong Province
5. exploring the issues relating to China’s ‘floating population’
The challenges of managing and planning Australia’s urban future (VCGGK126)
1. examining the forecasts for the size of Australia’s major cities and regional urban centres, and discussing the implications for their environmental sustainability and liveability
2. investigating ways of managing the projected growth of Australia’s cities and regional urban centres
3. exploring the arguments for and against a more balanced distribution of the urban population
4. examining how Canberra can be used as an example of urban decentralisation
5. proposing action to respond to geographical issues related to urbanisation

Levels 7 and 8 Achievement Standard

By the end of Level 8, students explain processes that influence the characteristics of places. They identify, analyse and explain interconnections and spatial characteristics and identity and explain their implications.

They compare strategies for a geographical challenge, taking into account a range of factors and predict the likely outcomes.

They ethically collect, record and select relevant geographical data and information from useful sources. They select and represent data and information in a range of appropriate forms including maps at different scales that conform to cartographic conventions. They analyse maps and other geographical data and information, and use geographical terminology, to develop identifications, descriptions, explanations and conclusions. They use digital and spatial technologies to represent and analyse data and information.